An Experiment on Light using Liquid Lenses

PARTICIPATING in DBE3 training was a great experience for me, said Endrawati, S.Pd, a science teacher from SMPN 1 Beji Pasuruan, East Java. She said that DBE3 training inspired her in conducting lessons at her school. The changes which have happened because of DBE3 include the development of better lesson plans. Now her lesson plans cover four important aspects i.e. cooperative learning, problem solving, high order questions and the students' work. According to Endrawati, one lesson which is difficult for students to understand is about the refraction of light. Students tend to have difficulty in imagining that light can be refracted.

Because of that, they lose interest in the lesson. Based on what she had learned at DBE3 training, Endrawati developed teaching aids for this lesson: a liquid lense. To teach the process of light refraction to her students, Endrawati needed lenses. However, the lenses she needed are quite expensive and difficult to find. To substitute for these lenses, she used light bulbs. They are easy to find and they can function as lenses. She just had to pour some liquid such as fresh and salt water or cooking oil into them.

She used these learning aids when teaching the 8th grade students at SMPN 1 Beji. It helped her students to under-stand the lesson. They worked together, discussed things together and found the answer from the experiment. The learning media really helped Endrawati to teach her lesson and it certainly helped her students to understand the lesson. In addition, the media was not at all expensive.

STUDY VISIT

Sharing Ideas to Spread Meaningful Learning

THERE are a number of ways to accelerate the dissemination of good teaching practices and to institute change in schools. One way is by means of study visits to schools that have already changed. In this way education practitioners can get a lot of information and experience. On this basis, East Java DBE3 facilitated a study visit by DBE3 East Java partners in the core districts to the extension districts. In this study visit, four core districts (Bangkalan, Sampang, Surabaya and Mojokerto) visited partner schools in the East Java DBE3 extension districts.

The partner schools visited were located in Tuban, Bojonegoro and Sidoarjo. In addition to observing lessons conducted in these schools, the groups conducted interactive dialogues with the school principals. In the interactive dialogue session the visitors and hosts shared their experiences in achieving more meaningful learning. "This activity gave us a lot of new ideas. We can copy the pattern of leadership of the school principals and the learning models we have seen.

Another thing that can be adopted is to raise the participation of the community to be proactive in supporting learning activities in schools ", said Drs. H. Hartono, M. Ag, a participant in the study visit from Sampang regency.